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#40 Babbo

Posted on October 7, 2007
Filed Under American, Best of the Best, Italian |

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I wish there was an all-happy story behind this meal, but like life, it’s full of up and downs. I was in NYC again, this time for my grandfather’s funeral. My good friend Eric just so happened to have a reservation for Mario Batali’s Babbo. We were supposed to have a great feast with 6 people, but things popped up for everyone. Thankfully Babbo was able to seat us anyway with just me and Eric.

We started off with the Warm Lamb’s Tongue Vinaigrette with Morels and a 3-Minute Egg. ($13) Oh, what a fantastic start, the tongue is so flavorful and tender, the 3 minute egg compliments it with the simple and rich flavor of the yolk. This was so comfortable to eat and was a great start to our night.

Eric told me how tough it was to get a reservation at Babbo. You have to call exactly a month ahead–at 10am, and you’d be lucky to get through. So we were both ready to splurge and do battle tonight. I ordered the Beef Cheek Ravioli with Crushed Squab Liver and Black Truffles. ($23) Goodness gracious, the flavor is intense from the beef cheek, and the truffles were something I’ve never had before and it lived up to its reputation as a delicacy.

Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage. ($20)

It’s got a strong mint flavor, but beautifully offset by the richness of the lamb sausage. Very interesting juxtaposition of flavors.

Eric ordered wine. this was a 2001 Veneroso Sangiovese/Cab blend. ($55)

Grilled Lamb Chops “Scottadita” with Eggplant “in Scapece” and Lemon Yogurt. ($29) This was amazing. Just amazing. The lamb is so tender with a huge burst of sweet meat flavor, not gamey at all. The lamb fat was literally sweet. It’s probably the best tasting meat I’ve ever EVER had. Just incredible.


Eric ordered the Duck with “Scafata,” House-Made Pancetta and Brovada, which was an excellent call. ($29) Beautiful, elegant duck flavor. Crispy skin, delicious duck fat. This is miles and miles away from the oily (but good) duck I’m used to getting at Cantonese places. Don’t get me wrong, I love crunchy duck skin, but this is quite something else.


Saffron Panna Cotta with Peaches, Peach Sorbetto and Mint. ($12) Panna cotta is like pudding, a mix of gelatin, cream, milk and sugar. This was delicious and the gelato and peach complimented it perfectly.

Erik made the perfect call here and went for the Assortment of Gelati and Sorbetti. ($12) Flavors included green apple, concord grape, mocha, olive oil… yes, the olive oil was the star of this mini show. It’s something completely unexpected and new to me, it’s an indescribable flavor, light and sweet and very interesting. And it’s gelatto, so you scoop up a little bit into your mouth, you get a huge burst of flavor and it melts away in seconds. The fireworks of desserts, you could call it.

View from my seat. The wine collection is incredible and they had a good number of sommeliers to give you advice, which is an excellent addition to the already exceptional service. The service is top notch and my glasses were always full.

Looking down at the first floor. It’s a beautiful restaurant, simple and elegant.

It’s dimly lit and per my agreement with the maitre’d, no flash photography, so we grabbed two candles and I held my breath for each shot, hand held at about 1/10 of a second. It was a challenge but I hope it came out well enough, I think it speaks volumes about the low-light performance of the Fuji S5 Pro.

Babbo
110 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10011

10 more meals to go.

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